Taylor at VGS 2020

(Image credit: Taylor)

VGS 2020: This has been a special year for Taylor Guitars and the Virtual Guitar Show 2020 will see the company present a quartet of stunning, high-end acoustic guitars from the Builder's Series – plus run through the American Dream Series, which offers a US-built Taylor at a very accessible price.

The Virtual Guitar Show is your chance to get up close and as personal as digitally possible with the Builder's Edition 816ce, 912ce, 324ce and 652ce acoustics. 

Be it the 816ce, with its partial cutaway, or the 324ce, with its ecologically sound Urban Ash build, the double-mounted string anchoring on the 652ce or the flagship Grand Concert cutaway, the 912ce, these instruments are changing how we look at the acoustic guitar. 

And with Taylor's unique V-Class bracing system under the hood, they are changing how we expect the acoustic guitar to sound.

Taylor's American Dream series, meanwhile, looks at taking Taylor's playability, feel and tone and making it available at a more approachable price point. With the AD27e, that means V-Class bracing, solid tonewoods, and a level of craft that only Taylor can provide.

Taylor Builder's Edition 324ce

The Builder's Edition 324ce has a solid mahogany top with Urban Ash reclaimed from Californian streets on the back and sides.

The Builder's Edition 324ce has a solid mahogany top with Urban Ash reclaimed from Californian streets on the back and sides. (Image credit: Taylor Guitars)

Forward-thinking, environmentally conscious, the Builder's Edition 324ce takes a new look at tonewoods.

The Builder's Edition 324ce is like other Taylor guitars. It, too, is equipped with a host of player-friendly features. There's a bevelled armrest and rolled edges for comfort. The cutaway is bevelled, too, improving access to the West African ebony fretboard.

But the 324ce is different. Its solid mahogany top is complemented by solid Urban Ash on the back and sides, wood culled from California's urban and suburban areas, saved from landfill to begin second life in the Taylor workshop as a tonewood with characteristics not dissimilar to mahogany.

With V-Class bracing and Taylor's Expression System 2, the 324ce sounds incredible acoustic or amped, with a warm, balanced tone. 

Taylor Builder's Edition – 816ce

The partial cutaway fives the 817ce a unique look. 

The partial cutaway fives the 817ce a unique look.  (Image credit: Taylor)

A Grand Symphony reimagined for 2020, the Builder's Edition 816ce is unique, innovative and packed with immersive tones.

The first thing that grabs you with the Builder's Edition 816ce is its Soundport cutaway – a revolutionary design feature that adds a three-dimensional quality to its sound.

The 816ce is a head-turner. A new style of acoustic, incorporating V-Class bracing and finding a new way to enhance the projection and tone from its materials.

There's solid Lutz spruce on top, solid Indian rosewood on the back and sides, finished in Silent Satin so there's no squeaks when mic'd. Altogether it is a stunning showcase for Taylor's craft and build quality.

Taylor Builder's Edition – 652ce

The Builder's Edition 652ce is a sumptuous 12-string with a beefier sound.

The Builder's Edition 652ce is a sumptuous 12-string with a beefier sound. (Image credit: Taylor)

With its reverse-strung setup, fuller sound and perfect intonation, the Builder's Edition 652ce is a game-changer for electro-acoustic 12-strings.

There will be a number of features that are familiar to Taylor players – the bevelled armrest and edge corners, the carefully sculpted cutaway, the tactile Silent Satin feel and a neck profile that fits the palm like a glove.

But don't let that disguise the fact that the 652ce is a revolutionary guitar. The double-mounted string anchoring sees two strings share one peg hole, ensuring a consistent break angle over the saddle. 

It's not just for open chord jangle. The rolled fretboard edges invite you to play, with the Sitka spruce top and figured maple back and sides endowing it with a tone profile that's more substantial than any 12-string you've ever heard.

Taylor Builder's Edition – 912ce

The Builder's Edition 912ce raises the standard for all electro-acoustics.

Built to a tried and tested Taylor recipe of Sitka spruce on top, Indian rosewood on the back and sides, with the premium V-Class bracing and Expression System 2 pickup and preamp, the 912ce is ready for the stage, studio or wherever you want to take it.

The Grand Concert body is compact and manageable, and excels in presenting a complex, musical midrange and super-articulate treble. 

Here, you will find some of Taylor's most aesthetically pleasing refinements – ebony binding, koa purfling, and abalone and mother-of-pearl Ascension inlays and trim... They are subtle but elevate the craft of acoustic guitar building to an art form.

American Dream Series

The Taylor American Dream AD27e offers V-Class bracing and Taylor's exceptional US build at a more accessible price.

The Taylor American Dream AD27e offers V-Class bracing and Taylor's exceptional US build at a more accessible price. (Image credit: Taylor)

Designed during uncertain times, this new series combines premium Taylor performance with exceptional value. Solid-wood construction, V-Class bracing, and simple appointments add up to a professional-level guitar in a more accessible package.

The AD27e is a guitar built for now. The Grand Pacific body shape is Taylor's contemporary update of the dreadnought shape, with slope-shoulder and a balanced tone profile that will suit strummers and fingerpickers alike. 

Solid sapele on top with solid tropical mahogany on the back and sides makes for a musical balance between warmth, definition and top-end sparkle.

About Taylor

Established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, Taylor Guitars has grown into an industry-leading manufacturer of premium acoustic guitars. Headquartered in El Cajon, California, Taylor is renowned for blending innovative guitar designs, sophisticated manufacturing, and impeccable attention to detail. Players around the world are drawn to the inviting playability, inspiring tone, and consistent build quality of our guitars.

Our passion for giving players at every level the best possible musical experience is supported by tone-enhancing designs, currently driven by master guitar designer Andy Powers. 

From player-friendly necks to our patented V-Class bracing architecture – a groundbreaking sonic engine for voicing an acoustic guitar – Taylor has made the playing experience more accessible and more musically expressive for everyone form beginners to pros.

(Image credit: Taylor)

Beyond a diverse selection of model options, we proudly offer a lifetime of friendly customer support. 

We’re also deeply committed to being a socially and environmentally responsible company and have led the way in the pursuit of innovative forest management practices that aim to safeguard the long-term future of tonewoods. When you purchase a Taylor guitar, you are supporting the highest levels of ethical, eco-conscious business. 

When you purchase a Taylor guitar, you are supporting the highest levels of ethical, eco-conscious business

These are just a few of the reasons that many of today’s leading musicians play a Taylor guitar. Our artist roster numbers in the thousands and includes the likes of Zac Brown, Paul McCartney, Linda Perry, Jason Mraz, Ben Harper, Tori Kelly, Shawn Mendes, and U2’s The Edge, among many others.